Recovering the Laughter
by pottergeek100
Summary: My entree to the oneshot competition on the HPFC forum. It's a month after the final battle and George is depressed due to Fred's death, and he wont listen to his family. Who better to get him out fo it than Angelina? Oneshot. Rated T because I'm paranoid


_**AN: This is my entrée for the one-shot competition on the HPFC forum. This is set after the final battle and shows George recovering from Fred's death, so needless to say it's not a very happy fic. Anyway that's all I have to say so enjoy! **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter world; everything belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling. Despite how much I wish it was mine.**_

It was a month after the Final Battle, and everybody was dealing with the fallout. So many people had died, and so many businesses had failed that the wizarding world was struggling to recover. Families had been forced to pull together to move on from the loss of their loved ones and pick up their lives again. On the whole, they were doing very well at rebuilding their community again, however there was an exception.

George Weasley couldn't move on from the day of the battle, he didn't see the point without Fred. For the first time in his life, George couldn't find anything to laugh about; he hadn't made a joke or pranked anybody since that day. His family had tried to help him, telling him that Fred wouldn't want him to be sad, that he'd want George to move on with his life, but they didn't understand the emptiness he felt.

They had been the Weasley Twins, partners in crime, brothers, and best friends. The longest they'd been apart had been a few hours, so how was he supposed to deal with the fact that he'd never see Fred again? Nobody understood how he felt, no matter how much they tried to comfort him, he was certain that he'd feel empty inside until the day he died. The laughter and happiness that had once filled his life had died on the battlefield with Fred. So he just spent his days in their apartment, lying on his bed, trying to convince himself that Fred had just slept in, and that he'd be up in a minute.

He didn't bother to get up when he heard someone knock on the door, expecting it to be another family member him food and more "encouraging" words. What he hadn't expected was for Angelina Johnson, Fred's old girlfriend to walk into his bedroom. She put the tray of food down on his bedside table and sat down on Fred's bed, before giving him a significant look. George sighed before beginning to half-heartedly pick at his food, but he kept his eyes trained on Angelina.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, just staring at each other, waiting for somebody to make the first move. Eventually, Angelina sighed and said "George, you're coming outside with me, right now, no complaints." Before George could say a word to stop her, Angelina has grabbed him by the arm and dragged him off of his bed. Then she waved her wand so that he was wearing robes instead of pyjamas and was cleanly shaven. After scrutinising him some more, she cast a few cleaning charms at him, which made up for his lack of cleanliness for the last month.

Once Angelina had cleaned George up to her satisfaction she dragged him outside. George just let her, seeing no point in trying to stop her, knowing that she would get her way no matter what he did. She turned George around and made him look at Weasley Wizard Wheezes. He saw children running in and out of the shop, holding pranking items and laughing together. George couldn't help smiling softly at the sight of their dream being realised again. Angelina noticed his smile and whispered in his ear "Fred's not gone, despite what the world says. While his jokes are making people laugh and his pranks are being played he'll always be here in spirit."

George was overwhelmed by the feeling behind Angelina's words and pulled her swiftly into a hug. He finally let the tears fall down his face, tears he had been holding back since the day Fred had died. Angelina just let him cry in her arms, and glared at anybody who dared to glance at them for too long. She had been told by the Weasleys that George had not properly mourned Fred, and knew that it was important to get all of the built up grief off of his chest. So there was no way that she would let any nosy shoppers get in the way of his recovery.

When George had ran out of tears to cry he pulled out of the hug, looking slightly self-conscious, but he also looked a lot lighter, as if the grief he'd been holding had been a great weight on his shoulders. George certainly felt a lot lighter than before, the emptiness inside of him was gone, and he could now see that he had been wasting his time by hiding away from the world. The world was finally happy and peaceful, but only because Fred and so many others had died to protect it. George promised himself that he would never waste his time like that again.

George looked into the eyes of his brother's old girlfriend, and tried to communicate with his eyes exactly how grateful he was for her bringing him out of his depression. He realised how lucky he was to have a friend as good and kind as she was. Angelina lightly pulled on his arm and made to lead him towards the restaurants, but he stopped her and said, "Thanks Angelina… For everything." With that they walked away together, and just as they were about to round the corner Angelina let her hand slip into George's.

_**AN: Yeah, I couldn't keep George depressed and I couldn't think of anybody to bring him out of it besides Angelina. Also I think it explains how they could become closer, as they were both mourning Fred's death, although admittedly George was taking it much harder. That's all I have to say so…**_

_**Peace, Love and Chocolate Frogs.**_

_**Pottergeek100. **_


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